1. Field of the Invention
The application relates to a touch panel structure having antenna pattern, and more particularly, to a touch panel structure and related communication device that dispose the antenna at the panel side away from the metallic housing, while the antenna is near field communicable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Antenna is used for transmitting or receiving radio waves so that data in the form of radio signals may be conveyed. For electronic products with wireless local area network (WLAN) communication function such as the laptop computers or tablet computers, a built-in antenna is necessary for transmission of data through the wireless network. The advancement of technology in radio communication has led to wireless communication system operating in various distinct frequencies. For example, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has regulated the wireless local area network standard IEEE 802.11a with the carrier central frequency at roughly around 5 GHz, while the IEEE 802.11b has the carrier central frequency at roughly around 2.4 GHz. Hence, an ideal antenna should cover various frequency bands required in wireless communication network for easy access by a user. Additionally, the size of an antenna should be as small as possible to be integrated into a mobile device.
Now that the size of a mobile phone is getting smaller, an old-fashioned antenna structure that protrudes from the housing of the device is strange, leading to a modern design with the antenna taking a form of plate-like antenna and built in the housing of the device. An antenna utilizes electromagnetic waves travelling in the space to transmit or receive messages and is easily interfered by any undesired electromagnetic waves. Since a mobile phone contains many other electrical components, each inevitably radiating electromagnetic waves during its operation, these radiated electromagnetic waves interfere, more or less, the operation of the antenna. As a result, some mobile phones have designs that shield those electrical components, which interferes the operation of the antenna, looking for reducing such unwelcomed interference by the leaking electromagnetic waves. Generally, such design requires restricting the configuration of the antenna at the housing, the antenna being squeezed either at a single side or at the corner of the housing, and apparently limits the freedom of the layout and design of the antenna, not to mention the ability of the antenna to transmit and receive the signals. Secondly, since the antenna is usually disposed within the back cover of the device, the transmission of the antenna may be influenced if the device uses a metallic back cover. Additionally, it is obvious that not every electrical component of the device is shieldable with a metallic housing or other wave-absorptive or magnetic material. The touch panel is one of such components, which requires to be touched by a user and is impossible to be fully shielded. Leak of electromagnetic waves from such components and interference to the antenna can not be prevented. Still one more problem is that the increasing size of the touch panel leaves little room for the antenna, which worsens all the aforesaid problems.
Hence, it is a primary objective to effectively enhance the frequency band of the antenna while meeting the room limitation of a miniaturizing mobile device.